>> and once again, we say good morning, washington. we are glad you're joining us. for the second straight morning, we're waking up with scattered rain showers. let's get straight to your traffic and weather. lisa is standing by with the latest on how all of this is affecting your commute. first, meteorologist adam caskey. what's the latest? >> a flash flood watch in effect until 8:00 a.m. and then big changes coming, this just in the next couple of hours. the flash flood watch is almost for the entire viewing area. it does include the metro area in parts of virginia and maryland. so let's go to the doppler 7 radar. the temperatures shown in yellow. notice the yellow and the red on the radar? the very heavy rainfall

clipping fairfax county. it is going to cross over the potomac and into frederick county and then hagerstown as well momentarily this morning. otherwise, a few spotty, light showers going on the high temperature about 83, becoming less humid. we'll dry out and have a fair amount of sunshine. more rainfall later this week. >> while you were sleeping there was a crash on the interloop ramp to eisenhower avenue. they are out there now repairing the guardrail so you'll mind exit ramp closed for the next 10-15 minutes. you'll find everything in your favor on the greenway, route 29 and even 270. not bad. more to come on the traffic side. we'll have the latest information from metro rail. last we heard, first trains in

normal service. >> our top story now, a 2-year-old boy fighting for his life after accidentally shooting himself in the chest. and now two teenagers are facing charges. this all happened early monday morning along little elliott drive in hagerstown. we are live from d.c.'s national children's medical center. >> good morning to you. according to police, a young boy is said to be in critical condition here at children's this morning after accidentally shooting himself. police telling us that the 2-year-old found gun under a bed and started playing with it before it went off. police say they were called to the apartment complex in hagerstown early monday morning. authorities stay 2-year-old was found shot in the chest. police arrested his brother, 16-year-old marcus along with a 17-year-old. according to authorities, they are both being charged as adults.

rivera allegedly tried to hide the gun at a nearby playground after the shooting. investigators say that the gun had been reported stolen. >> ok. thank you very much. meanwhile, another infant is in the hospital after a car crash in prince georges county. this happened yesterday at floral park road and old libertyy line. dr. david cohen was released last night. she was shot on september 16 by paul pardus after the doctor delivered bad news about pardus' mother's condition. nearly 50 cattle died when a fire destroyed a virginia

livestock market. the flames broke out about 8:00 last night. more than 70 firefighters battled this blaze. a firefighter was treated for minor injuries. there is no word on what caused the fire. we have a developing story to tell you about from the white house this morning where president obama could be looking for a new chief of staff. source say rahm emanuel is in fact, poised to leave his job. he is apparently going to run for the mayor of chicago. an official announcement could come as soon as friday. parents and now are responding to president obama's criticism of d.c. public schools. >> the d.c. public school systems are struggling. >> mr. obama told nbc news his daughter could not get the same quality education at a public school as they get at their private school. some agree with the president's assessment but that the schools

are heading in the right direction. others believe michelle rhee's reforms are not working. the president says he supports extending the school year. he said americans are falling behind the rest of the world, especially in science and math and supports removing low performing teachers. we turn now to campaign 2010. president obama will hit the campaign trail. he is covering four states trying to help democrats hold on to their majority in congress. emily joins us live with the details. what is the president's strategy for this upcoming trip? >> he is going back to what works for him in 2008. good morning to you. remember when barack obama was a candidate a couple of years ago, he would go to college campuses. people would line up with lines as long as you could see and that enthusiasm translated into votes. tonight he will be at the university of wisconsin. he is hoping to recapture some of that enthusiasm. this year, of course, the

president's name is not on the ballot but his party's control is on the line. yod say they are simply less motivated now. in a recent poll, 55% of young people said they are certain to vote in november compared to 3/4 of older voters who say they will vote. they acknowledge it isn't as exciting as casting the ballot for the first time. in a conference call, president obama told young people he can't afford for them to sit this one out. the president's backyard conversations that will be happening in three other states today and the next couple of days will will be considered official presidential business. his visit to wisconsin highlights how the political landscape has change over the past couple of years. in 2008, a record number of first-time voters in wisconsin turned out for democrats. this year, the key race in the state, much, much closer.

abc 7 news. back to you. >> thank you very much. good to see you this morning. it is 5:06. we have 69 degrees. still ahead on "good morning washington" midnight madness takes over george mason and now the wizards are back in action. takes over george mason and now the wizards are back in action. plus go hands free or hang up.

right here in this neighborhood, i grew up learning strong families and hard work means opportunity. and that starts with good schools. it's a tradition here in maryland-- and why in these tough times i've put education first. we've made record investments in our classrooms... doubled the number of charter schools... and we've frozen college tuition for four years in a row. and it's working. experts say we now have the number one schools in the nation. when it comes to expanding opportunity in every neighborhood, i know that we must do even better. i always feed in the fall. but, it's the best time. feed your lawn in the fall. the fall feeding makes all the difference in the world. what the fall feeding does is build the roots.. that's when the roots sorta want nutrition. i give my lawn scotts winterguard. it's like a root building machine. it builds your lawn from the roots up. next year you get this! the stronger the roots, the stronger the lawn. all year long. the best time to feed is when it will do the most good. there's no substitute for the fall feeding, trust me.

it is the best thing you can do for your lawn. i use scotts winterguard.

5:10 on this tuesday. welcome back. temperatures in the low 70's, upper 60's. 70 degrees in leesburg with downpours. moderate to heavy rain is the yellow. there's a flash flood watch until 8:00 a.m. for most of the region. most of the showers are stretching from pennsylvania into spotsylvania and culpeper. and frederick as well. much of it over leesburg, about to cross over the potomac into

the county. we are looking at sunshine by midday or afternoon. at lunchtime anticipate clear skies locally. clearing from the southwest to northeast. becoming less humid. southwest will end at 10-15. partly cloudy tomorrow, increasing collards by the evening. late-day showers cannot be ruled that tomorrow evening. debbie rain possible wednesday night into thursday -- heavy rain. happy campers on 95 in and out of baltimore. no problems going south into richmond. around the beltway. let's go forward a spin. getting the green light through southeast coming into northeast. no problems on the beltway in virginia. giving you the green light, normal travel times between fredericksburg and the the lead, in and of baltimore, nothing on 270, 66 between centreville and

the beltway, an undertaking you live to the beltway at university blvd., looks ok. back to you. >> thank you. continuing storm watch coverage, the two-day rain is creating complications borrowed construction projects. the weather has affected beltway traffic since the construction started. vdot has built fences to try to keep the dirt from turning into a mudslide when it starts to rain. much of the problem is and lack of drainage. it is 69 degrees. still ahead, blackberry's answer to the ipad, the tablet that could give apple a run for its money. i am courtney robinson in college park. in a few days it will be time to put this all fall away behind

the wheel in maryland. details on the new law coming up. parts of southern california are baking under late fall he auglaize. laytonsvil

in our top stories, a two- year-old boy accidentally shot himself. his older brother and another teenage are facing charges. if it happened yesterday and an apartment in hagerstown. the bullets found a gun under the bid, a weapon that had been reported stolen. fees at children's national medical center in d.c. in critical condition. president obama could be looking for new chief of staff. rahm emanuel will go back to chicago to run for mayor. forecasters say it will be another day of scorching heat of

southern california. yesterday in los angeles bill was a record high of 113 degrees. some people suffered through without of air-conditioning and others used a the heat as an excuse to go to the beach. sounds good. let's looking at the day ahead. maryland is three days away from joining a growing list of states going handsfree behind the wheel. transportation officials want to get a word about this. courtney robinson is live in college park with what drivers need to know. >> good morning. this friday the drivers will not be able to use their cell phone in their hands. they will need a bluetooth or other such device when behind the wheel. this is a secondary offense. officers will have to pull you over for something else before digging you for being on the phone while driving. the first ticket will cost $40. any ticket thereafter will cost $100. maryland becomes the eighth

state in the nation to enact such a law. no texting and no talking on the phone. that's been a point of contention with some research. some research shows the handsfree devices are actually safer, but other devices like the bluetooth will you have to look at the phone and hit send are not that much safer than talking and driving. last year alone the transportation officials say distracted driving congenital 5500 deaths across the nation. they're trying to reduce those numbers of accidents caused by a distracted driving as well as the number of deaths. if you do get to that for a ticket in maryland, you will be allowed to have -- you will not have to pay if you can prove that you had a handsfree device and that you bought one.

a deal that is shaking up the skies. southwest is buying caltrans at $1.4 billion. you will be able to fly southwest of reagan national airport. travelers will have more options in cities like new york, boston, and atlanta. southwest is going to drop the baggage fees when the two combined in the year 2012. >> that is an advantage over any other airline. >> experts say it will still cost more trouble in the northeast. southwest and airtran are known for their discounts. there will to be less competition when they merge, so that is likely to change. today in "tech bytes" there is a new game for the guitar love for in you. >> there's a new tablets computer with a seven-inch

screen and is able to use a wireless link to have a larger screen on a separate the blackberry devices. it comes out later this year. guitar hero: warriers, is a fund mix of rock and roll and superhero adventure. >> the game looks great and the animations of better. more than nine songs. a mix of classic bands like the the top = = lie zz top and snow bands. -- and new bands. >> i'm rob nelson. >> still dealing with grain. it will continue. it will pick up again later in the week as well. >> heavy showers wednesday night

and through a daytime thursday. we need moisture. we have areas of rain in the west of the beltway in west virginia, an analyst virginia, and western maryland. montgomery county is where they are and just about to quit clarksburg. right along the west virginia state line and loudoun county line right here is where we have areas of intense strain and moving into jefferson, moving north. farther south of town, still dealing with grain. this rain in stafford and fredericksburg edel little over bowie annemarie from la plata, areas of light rain. it's moving south to north, like yesterday. scattered showers today.

as a flash flood watch until 8:00 a.m. later this morning for most of the viewing area. let's give you an idea of what is to come later on today. the clearing line over west virginia will continue moving north and east. there will be a fair amount of sunshine as early as .-- as noon. near 70 degrees right now. low 80's this afternoon and becoming less humid. a nice day tomorrow with a break in the rain. increasing clouds tomorrow evening with late-day showers possible. heavy rain is likely thursday. uncomfortable for the weekend. increasing volume. no major accidents anywhere. that is a good thing. no problems in the district. looks good in and out of

baltimore. 270 has just volume during a single adult way to worry about from the american legion bridge. 66 has a crash beforehand market eastbound. everything moved to the shoulder right leg. -- crashed before haymarket. moving at speed near the pentagon. back to you. >> thank you. 5:22 is the time. gilbert arenas showed up for media day for the wizards but he looked glum. would until you hear how he's feeling. and today on the oprah show, jenny mccarthy breakopens up afr breaking up with jim carrey.

more bold flavor!onds! more variety! more value! more of what you want... not what you don't. blue diamond almonds. (play-by-play announcer) it's up and it is... good! more than a snack. it is intercepted and the flag is thrown. >> that was green bay in chicago last night. they had 18 penalties including one that set up a last-minute field goal. the bears win 20-17. the bears and steelers are undefeated. >> the wizards took the court last night at george mason. the first midnight madness,

training camp officially underway. yesterday the wizard's held to their media event. the turnout was incredible because it with a first-time gilbert arenas spokes since the incident. he was interviewed and reserved. >> i am very happy. [unintelligible] is no need to repeat the past. >> the philadelphia phillies beat up on the nationals last night. it was the game-winner in the second inning. that baby was a solo shot that he needed. the earned his 21st win of the season. the phillies beat the nationals 8-02 in the eastern division title for the fourth straight year. there's a look that your morning sports. have a great day. >> thanks. we have 69 degrees. the news continues at 5:00 thursday. still and the and the next half

dollar, dancing with the stars and sarah palin, we will look back at the best and worst. >> a two-year-old is fighting for his life after accidental shooting himself. that's coming up. we have rain, sunshine, and dense and heavy rainfall l

live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> straight ahead this half hour, will the rain make a dent in the drought? and when is it going to let bubka? welcome back on this tuesday morning, 28, i am alison

starling. . -- when is the dollar to going going to let up? >> we've had two inches in some locations that are isolated. there's more rain still falling. some very heavy rainfall ahead, especially wednesday night and particularly thursday. very likely the strong system will materialize. storms are moving south to north. in montgomery county and clarksburg towards frederick and frederick county and washington county. the morning rain will be coming to an end. temperatures near 70. low 80's this afternoon and clearing at lunchtime even the

earlier than that especially west and southwest of the material. becoming less humid this afternoon. rain tomorrow evening. but the weekend looks fantastic after thursday. there is a perfect picture of what you were just talking about, 270 in the rain. there's road spray. be very cautious. i am going to jump to the camera in virginia. not as bad, the pace is the north on 95 for the headlights there. on mass-transit, metrorail is on normal service system wide. back to you. >> thank you. now to our top story, a two- erodible a got his hands on a gun and shot himself in the chest barely monday morning in

hagerstown. -- a two-year-old. these in critical condition at children's national hospital in hagerstown. brianne carter has more. >> this all happened early monday morning. the toddler found the gun under robet and began playing with it before it went off. -- under a bed. he is in critical condition. >> is sad. >> a hagerstown toddler is fighting for his life. >> he's just. boy.e's a typical little >> mario accidentally shot himself at the apartment. a little boy was found shot in the chest. >> they carried the little kids

out and making no noise, just hanging there. >> his brother marcus and a 17- year-old rivera were arrested and rivera tried to hide the gun in a nearby playground shortly afterwards. the teenager is being charged as adults and faces multiple charges. >> a judge has dropped wiretapping charges against a motorcyclist who videotaped a maryland state trooper who stopped him for speeding. the camera captured the traffic stop on 95 earlier this year. a state trooper pulled his gun during the stock. police are searching for a man who sexually assaulted a woman

in germantown 3:30 sunday morning on route 355. a woman was walking on the sidewalk when a man approached her and dragged her into the woods. police believe she did not know the attacker. president obama will hit the campaign trail again today. he will visit four states trying to drum up support for democrats. emily schmidt has more on the president's trip and strategy to win over voters. >> to the president who inspired young voters returns to his college rally routes. mr. obama's name is not on the ballot this time, but his party is on the line. they are simply less motivated.

55% of young people are certain to vote this fall. >> i just want more. >> five weeks into the election, this is the challenge. president obama is talking about the economy. vice president joe biden wanted people to consider the alternative. >> people are interested in the political process. >> in 2008 record number of voters turned out for the democrats. key races are much closer this year. >> a developing story from the white house, president obama's soon be looking for a new chief of staff. rahm emanuel is poised to leave his post to return to chicago and run for mayor. an official announcement could happen as soon as friday. there's a new book that takes us inside the white house of

president obama and his aides and the borat of afghanistan, goes on sale today. >> this is exactly what he said and what his advisers said. these are the contradictions and the limit. >> in the book, journalist bob woodward explains how the president and his aides made decisions about afghanistan, a secret war in pakistan, and boron terrorism, antel members of the president's national security team had doubts that sending more troops would work. 69 degrees. stilted, cracking down on distracted driving, the latest state to go handsfree, and what drivers need to know. first, and a good check on [ electronic humming ] [ announcer ] complete opposites... in complete harmony.

introducing the sport hybrid. [ engine revving ] ♪ [ dance rock ] ♪ hey ♪ [ woman vocalizing ] the combination only honda could engineer. the all-new cr-z sport hybrid. ♪ [ woman vocalizing ]

four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again

tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle class marylanders do. >> ayman for gettiin invitiy down for the tased of bethesda at nest cafe. >> good morning, washington. >> adam caskey is outside on what is shaping up to be really rainy week all-around. >> very rainy. we will < later this afternoon

and most of the day tomorrow. there are fringe dollars right now. and dense and heavy rain on thursday. in arlington there is very light rain. in charles county and in la plata there is light rain and say mary's county. this engrain in frederick county and eastern washington county. moderate showers in parts. that will be replaced by sunshine and midday. it is 70 to let reagan national. in the 60's in a lying areas. 83 is the high temperature. less humidity this afternoon with some sunshine. a fair amount of sunshine tomorrow followed by cloud cover tomorrow evening. heavy rain on thursday. now to lisa baden for the commute. plenty of traffic on 66 with a minor accident before

haymarket and the crashes on the shoulder. 95 northbound, there's a mile before the lorton exit, after the occoquan river. emergency equipment is blocking hov.left lane of the age of t it is dry at the pentagon and washington boulevard. in maryland, plenty of rain coming down. at 270, stark contrast. back to you. >> thank you. 5:41 is the time, 69 degrees. coming up, sarah palin drops by "dancing with the stars". 1 bagram starts might already begun to beat, just two weeks in. -- one ballroom star. >> on friday, and the texting

and driving in maryland. >> as an accident takes the life of an international businessman. we will

this kenmore elite multi-motion washer... how does that work? hit it! see, other machines only go in circles. this kenmore elite has multi-motions for a custom clean. it scrubs to help lift stains, rolls to wash gently, swings, steps, and tumbles. better than just circles, what! sorry. get a free stainless steel upgrade on top brands, and 15% off all appliances. plus save up to an additional $250 instantly with our appliance trade-in program. sears.

5:45 on this tuesday morning. a two-year-old boy is in critical condition after he accidentally shot himself in hagerstown apartment. he found a gun under the bed. the boy's brother and another teenager have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. president obama is in mexico as part of a cross-country tour amstetten open democrats hold onto their majority in congress. he will have a backyard meeting with neighbors in another state and then will be back in virginia. police in britain said the

body of jim heselden was found in iraq above the cliff. they believe he fell off the cliff while riding on the segway that he invented. maryland transportation officials want to get the word out, hang up and drive. the new law against distracted driving goes into effect in a couple days. breaking it will cost you big time. courtney robinson has more details. good morning. >> good morning. you can't talk on the phone and drive, but you cannot be holding the cell phone if if you're behind the wheel in maryland. it will be a secondary offense. -- you can talk on the phone as long as you're not holding the cell phone. the first offense is $40. a second any

offense. you will be able to pay the first fine if you can prove that you have bluetooth, and you can get all of the first fine. distracted driving accounts for 6500 deaths last year. and many accidents. this coming friday in maryland to the new law takes effect. >> thank you, courtney robinson. a wax replica of st. john bosco is on display at the basilica of the national shrine of the immaculate conception. few the patron saint of the young. the rally will be on display today on may from 8:30 a.m. until 7:00.

to its stevens will be laid to rest in arlington national cemetery today, one of five people killed in a plane crash in southwest alaska last month. if four people survived including former nasa chief sean o'keefe. stevens was the longest serving a republican senator in u.s. history. he was 86. virginia is about to have its fourth annual tax holiday. from october 8 through october 11. it applies to items such as the palms, dishwashers, etc.. items must be certified as being energy-efficient with the energy star or watersense designation, $2,500 or less. it is muggy and not. rain continuing to fall -- uggy and hot.

>> it will pause briefly and then ran again thursday. >> looks like a fall weekend ahead? >> :to be fantastic this weekend with a hyper system coming from canada, bringing sunshine. we have areas of rain this morning. starts to the northwest of town. washington county, montgomery county, northern loudoun county. still moderate range dollars there. there's light rain shown in green, heavy rain shown in yolo. shorts are moving south to north. -- heavy rain shown in yellow. there is moderate rain approach in manassas. a few areas of light rain in fairfax county, reston, chantilly and tysons corner and bethesda and prince george's county and southern maryland is

light rain, stretching from brandywine and clinton and down into lexington park and across the potomac. this is good, more beneficial rain showers to start the day. there's a flash flood watch in effect until 8:00 a.m. for most of our region. we have an analog of rain and we are getting more this morning. some of it is at the. -- is heavy. the rain will continue to move to the northeast. skies should clear later at midday into the afternoon. let's break down the forecast. of what dew points felt that we will clear out first to the west and southwest. clearing last to the northeast of the middle. clearing from the southwest to the northeast. 83 this afternoon. becoming less humid. the rain is likely thursday it

will be sunny on the weekends. now to lisa baden. . plenty of traffic. yellow arrows are not good. and means heavy volume. there's a crash in the hov lane in lorton on 95 with delays for the main line and the hov lanes holiday a city. 95 in maryland, in and out of baltimore, indecent southbound. it's getting a the iqbal alami baltimore washington parkway. 270, add some time to your travel because of the rain. even of reston on the dulles greenway and the dulles toll road, heavy volume. belt for and route 5, no complaints. metrorail is supporting lowell melser service system wide. ander route 5, no

complaints. >> last night contestants on "dancing with the stars" were huffing and puffing their way through the jive. >> ♪ >> there is dirty dancing star jennifer grey an interpreter. there were the favorites. sarah palin was there to cheer on her daughter. >> it was great to have heard their. >> bristol palin is tied for third place with a disney star. michael bolton ended up in last place. tonight there is another contestant leaving. "dancing with the stars" is at 8:00 tonight on abc 7.

>> vowel is jennifer grey doing? >> she has the top scores again. >> i love her. i'm so glad. >> we have an inspirational story. a dream come true for a high- school football player in washington state. the 17-year-old ike ran 51 yards for a touchdown with 10 seconds left in the game. what made this emotional is he has down's syndrome. this was his first touchdown. he got help from the opposing team. the only points his team put on the board, they lost 35-6. a memorable experience for him. great to see the team's rallying around him. >> i love that. that's great. >> i have those bumps. thank you. >> that's great.

>> we will take a break so you can compose yourselves. if we have 69 degrees. in case of everyday emergencies, it's important to be prepared for dinner. that's why i've prepared my perdue perfect portions fresh chicken breasts. they're individually wrapped, so you can cook what you need and store what you don't. [ male announcer ] perdue perfect portions. ready when you are. i always feed in the fall. but, it's the best time. feed your lawn in the fall. the fall feeding makes all the difference in the world. what the fall feeding does is build the roots.. that's when the roots sorta want nutrition. i give my lawn scotts winterguard. it's like a root building machine. it builds your lawn from the roots up. next year you get this! the stronger the roots, the stronger the lawn. all year long. the best time to feed is when it will do the most good.

there's no substitute for the fall feeding, trust me. it is the best thing you can do for your lawn. i use scotts winterguard.

i do 22 more inspections than the government requires. and my fresh, all-natural chickens are never given any hormones or steroids. ♪ ...and no candy, gladys. [ clucks ] [ male announcer ] perdue. extra inspections... extraordinary chicken. >> maryland posted for its casino is open for business. the official grand opening is thursday. the new hollywood casino opened three in days ahead of schedule. the official grand opening is thursday in perryville. there are 1600 slot machines.

business is pretty good so far, we are told. >> i am not finished yet. clucks the place is nice. if you like to gamble, you cannot read it. it.cannot beat >> another one could be opening soon. this one is the only game in town for now. there's a lot more to come in the second hour. a health warning, pomegranates may not be the miracle cure that it is spoken to be. a toddler

we are on storm watch as more rain works through the region. how long will it stick around? president obama hodes to get his once biggest fans fired up and ready to go again. > get ready to go handsfree in maryland. good morning, washington. continues right now.